Does this couch make me look fat? Flame retardant Firemaster550 tied to weight gain, early puberty, anxiety in rats

The flame retardant mixture called Firemaster 550 has been identified as a potent endocrine disruptor in mother rats and their offspring, according to an exploratory study. In particular, the results suggest that Firemaster 550 is an obesogen. The pups born to mothers that ate high doses of the mixture during pregnancy and while nursing were heavier during adolescence and kept the weight on as adults. The animals were 22 to 32 percent heavier as adults when compared to unexposed rats. Chemicals that are considered obesogens can change fat metabolism and storage, ultimately leading to fat accumulation and weight gain. Some scientists think obesogens are partially to blame for the rising obesity rates in North America and other regions. Besides being obese, the animals exposed during development were more anxious and the females entered puberty earlier than the unexposed rat...